Jan 24, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics power forward Jared Sullinger (7) talks with Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers during the third quarter at TD Banknorth Garden. The New York Knicks won 89-86. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Not even a week after hearing about Rajon Rondo tearing his ACL, the Boston Celtics receive even more bad news, this time regarding Jared Sullinger. Sullinger had back surgery and will be shut down for the rest of the season. For Celtics fans, could this season get any worse?

Boston now has to rely upon Brandon Bass and possibly Fab Melo, who will suit up for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic. Sullinger was a player who brought energy and rebounding, but now the Celtics will have to find someone else who can supply both. But who? Boston is one of the worst rebounding teams in the league and Sullinger was probably their best rebounder next to Kevin Garnett. So where do the Celtics go from here?

Unless Melo produces similar numbers to Sullinger, or his own in the D-League, Boston may have to look to making a trade or finding a diamond in the rough in free agency. The problem facing the Celtics however is their most valuable pieces are Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger, and both are out for the season. It will be interesting to see what Danny Ainge does. He can’t leave the roster untouched, especially in the shape it’s in.

If changes aren’t made, the front court is very thin as they only have Jason Collins and Brandon Bass, which now affects the minutes of play for Kevin Garnett. The Celtics now face many issues, and maybe it was possible that they’d be fine without Rondo, but with another big injury I don’t see how making it far in the playoffs is possible.

Kenyon Martin is still available, and even though most fans don’t want him, if you want the roster to stay the same, then signing him is the best option out there. Looking at where the Celtics could possibly go; either move on without making a trade or acquisition; consider the possibilities of trading whatever piece is valuable; or try finding someone in free agency. This is going to be an interesting time for the franchise. A lot of decisions have to be made by February 21st, and for Celtics fans, there may be some very unpopular moves coming within the next few weeks.

Jan 25, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) shoots over Boston Celtics power forward Jared Sullinger (7) in overtime at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 123-111. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The hits just keep on coming for the Celtics. Not even one week after losing Rajon Rondo, the Celtics lose Sullinger who had just earned a starting position permanently. Sullinger only played four minutes against the Orlando Magic with apparent back spasms.

Sully was red flagged medically when coming out of Ohio State for back problems. The Celtics were said to be taking a huge gamble on someone who was a lottery pick before his medical red flag. Now with this happening, its obvious that those red flags were something serious.

It’ll be interesting to see where Ainge goes from here. Fab Melo has already been recalled from the D-League and he’ll surely get some playing time now. Ainge has also said that he isn’t he isn’t immediately going to move anyone.

We’ll see what happens from here.

Nov 2, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics power forward Jared Sullinger (7) warms up prior to a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Last night Jared Sullinger left the game with back spasms four minutes into the first quarter. Sullinger, who has had a history of back problems, has reportedly been experiencing pain for the last few weeks according to Marc Murphy of the Boston Herald.

Doc Rivers -

“I know Eddie(Lacerte, the trainer) said something a week or two ago that it’s been bothering him, and I think this will be what will happen,” the C’s coach said of the problem. “He’ll have these episodes and we’ve got to get him through it. Hopefully he doesn’t miss games with them, but if he does he does. And then get it right and come back. But I’m not sure if it was before the game or not.”

Should there be a reason for concern if you’re a Celtics fan? Absolutely. The fact that this has been a lingering issue for the past two weeks and Sullinger has had bulging disks in his back before, it now raises questions as to how healthy is, and will he be one hundred percent for the remainder of the season.

According to Doc Rivers, Sullinger is 50/50 for tomorrow night’s game against the Orlando Magic despite not participating in practice this morning. Back injuries should not be taken lightly, and given the Celtics history with handling injuries, Sullinger probably won’t play.

Sullinger also found out last night that he was not invited to play in the Rookie-Sophomore game during All-Star weekend. Seeing that he’s been suffering from back spasms, it’s better that he rests during the break and gets himself back to full strength to help the Celtics make one final push towards the playoffs.